The present invention generally relates to remote real-time vehicle on-board diagnostics (OBD) monitoring. More specifically, various embodiments of the present invention relate to an on-board diagnostics (OBD) protocol interpreter and conversion system for decoding incompatible OBD output data from a vehicle OBD unit.
A modern vehicle manufactured in recent decades typically integrates an on-board diagnostics (OBD) unit, which is connected to an engine control unit (ECU), fuel consumption instruments, vehicle sensors, and other devices in the vehicle. As a factory-standard device at the point of vehicle manufacturing, the OBD unit was originally conceived to make vehicle maintenance, diagnostics, and repairs simpler at an authorized service facility that has a corresponding OBD data reader unit. A variety of OBD data formats have been developed in the past several decades, and many of them were originally intended to be standardized for OBD data reader compatibility among a plurality of OBD data readers. As a result, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) have created numerous OBD data format standards, such as SAE J1850 PWM, SAE J1850 VPW, ISO 9141-2, ISO 14230-4, and ISO 15765-4, which are utilized for “OBD2” and “EOBD” regional standards. Furthermore, SAE J1939, SAE J1587, and SAE J1708 have been created for on-board diagnostics data readout from heavy duty trucks.
The usage of these existing OBD standards tends to be regionally fragmented, with some standards being more heavily utilized in one region (e.g. North America) over another (e.g. Europe). Furthermore, despite the original intent of compatibility for data readout regardless of particular names and makes of vehicles, many automakers customize OBD data formats to be maker-specific or even model-specific that can only be decoded properly by a corresponding maker-specific OBD reader device at a manufacturer-authorized service facility. For example, “2012-Mack-GU813E” is a Mack truck model-specific OBD protocol for use in Chile, and “2011-Mercedes Benz-Axor” is a Mercedes-specific OBD protocol for use in Brazil. These region and manufacturer-specific OBD protocols are typically not decipherable by a generic “universal” OBD data reader unit.
Thus, the pervasive practice of customizing OBD data formats by region and/or by automakers present significant challenges to a generic “universal” OBD data reader unit that attempts to decipher all types of OBD data formats, including the esoterically-customized OBD data by regions, makes, and models. The lack of OBD format compatibility may be especially problematic in a current automotive technological evolution for connected cars and remote vehicle monitoring, because a real-time OBD data readout for vehicle dynamics, fuel consumption, and condition analysis may require an integration or installation of a generic “universal” OBD data reader unit that can decode all kinds of OBD data formats, regardless of regions, makes, and models.
Therefore, it may be desirable to devise a novel OBD protocol interpreter and conversion system that can dynamically decode a known set of standard OBD formats as well as esoterically-customized and/or non-standard OBD formats that are unrecognized by a generic OBD data reader unit. Furthermore, it may also be desirable to devise an OBD protocol converter unit that can be plugged to a vehicle OBD unit for seamlessly converting any types of standard and non-standard OBD formats to an OBD format compatible for real-time remote vehicle monitoring. In addition, it may also be desirable to devise a method of processing a non-standard and/or unknown OBD protocol for correct decoding by the novel OBD protocol interpreter and conversion system.